How to Control What Apps Can Use Cellular Data on iPhone

Modern versions of iOS allow iPhone and LTE-enabled iPad users to control exactly which apps can use cellular data. Additionally, the settings control panel can help to make the decision easier to allow or disallow a specific apps cellular access by displaying how much cellular data a specific app is actually using. This can be a valuable tool to use if a specific app is consuming more bandwidth than it should, you don’t want an app to update when on cellular connections, or even if you’re simply trying to avoid going over a bandwidth cap imposed by a cellular network provider.

Note: this only impacts app data when an iOS device is connected to a cellular network, meaning 3G, 4G, LTE, etc, it has no impact on the app being able to connect to data sources through Wi-Fi networks.

Managing Which iOS Apps Can Use Cellular Data

This allows you to set exactly what apps can use and can not transmit through a cellular data connection:

Open the Settings app and near the top of the options choose “Cellular”

Scroll down past the switches for general cellular capabilities, LTE use, roaming, and hotspot, to find the “Use Cellular Data For:” section

Locate the app(s) you wish to disable cellular data access for, and toggle the associated switch into the OFF position

Repeat with other apps as desired to control or disable their cellular data access, when finished hit the Home button to exit out of Settings

You’ll notice a number underneath each applications name, that number indicates the amount of cellular data used since the counter has last been reset (typically after a system restore, manual reset, or perhaps never if the phone is new). In these screenshot examples, the App Store has used 823MB of data, which is no big deal if you have an unlimited cellular data plan, but if you had a cap at 1GB you may find that setting important to disable, choosing instead to rely on a wi-fi connection.

Again, if you don’t see this list on the iPhone it’s probably because you didn’t scroll far enough, it is located beneath the Personal Hotspot control settings.

Use this trick if you’re looking for very fine-tuned controls over what applications can transmit on your iPhone or iPad data plan, it’s a much better solution to turning off all data if just one or two apps are the hungry hogs and the rest of them aren’t consuming much of the data plan in general.

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I love these simple yet wonderful tips. Thought I would take the time to thank you after reading your website for about a year, almost daily. Just wish the cellular data tracker could be reset monthly if you wanted it to.
Keep it up and is this blog a hobby or a full-time job?

While a few of my iOS apps can have their cellular data switched off, most simply reactivate when I leave the system settings. When I return, all my settings have reverted. Happens with both Apple made iOS apps & 3rd party apps

Thanks for the tip. I had no idea that this was possible, i’ve been stuck with all or nothing for quiet sometime. Although i’m having some trouble like Tomas and a few of my apps aren’t staying disabled. Any suggestions? Thanks

I’ve disabled cellular data access for twitter but I’ve noticed that I still get notifications of tweets. I didn’t want to turn of my notifications for this app cause I don’t mind having it as long as it’s not using my Cellular Data. does this happen to anyone else? Is this app still able to access my Cellular Data?

I have disabled cellular data for all apps (including gmail) but somehow I still keep getting push notifications for gmail! HOW & WHY?!?! NO WIFI is available/connected. I don’t want to keep having to change my notification settings every time I disable cellular data for gmail, & thats missing the point anyways! I turn off its data to KEEP IT FROM USING MY DATA! But clearly it is still using it!

Ok I have the same problem as many of you. It started in my 4s and when I switched to the 6, it stayed. When I turn off and on my phone, the LTE is on for all apps. I turn them off, and they do turn off, but when I go back to look, it says they are turned on. Now the problem for me is that is I want to turn back on any of the apps, I must turn off my phone and restart the process

My settings stay the same when I switch to cellular or wifi.
I’m just wondering which apps I should set to use cellular data and which apps I should have work only on wifi (except icloud back up, duh). Like, should I have firefox use cellular data or wifi. I’m so confused! sigh.

i have the sam problem as amir, i turn on my cellular data for facebook, exit off and then go back in and its turned off so now i cant use some apps unless there is wifi around which is completly useless. HELP!

I’m having the same problem. I had to turn off my data usage for whatsapp and now I can’t turn them back on. I’ve exited out, turned off my phone, even reset it and nothing works. I tried uninstall and again install the app.
Then also i am getting the problem. Please help!

I am having the same issue as Amir and lot of you I just noticed it today when I went to go play a game and it wouldn’t connect. So I tried to turn data on for it but it shuts off when I leave settings. I need help!

I cant see my facebook, messenger, instagram and other apps that i ave downloaded on the “Use Cellular data for:” so i cant enable it. How can it make the apps appear in there? please answer my question. Please

Wow, glad to see I’m not alone with having issues allowing apps to use data. I had some off but recently switched to unlimited data and now I can’t turn them back on. It seems a little hinky to me cuz I had no issue changing settings when I had a data limit. Is this how they’ve decided to restrain your data when you’ve coughed up to not have to worry about your families usage anymore?